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Singer Who Voiced Simba In The Lion King Turned Down $2 Million In Favour Of Royalties

Singer Who Voiced Simba In The Lion King Turned Down $2 Million In Favour Of Royalties

Jason Weaver's mum managed to negotiate a lucrative deal based on the movie's royalties

Anish Vij

Anish Vij

The man who provided the singing voice for The Lion King's Young Simba turned down a $2 million (£1.45m) fee in favour of a much more lucrative deal based on the film's royalties.

Jason Weaver told Vlad TV he rejected an initial $2 million flat rate fee because his mum advised him to turn it down and opt for royalties instead.

Smart woman.

The 1994 film has grossed over $1 billion (£770k) worldwide - so it's fair to say Weaver didn't regret his decision.

YouTube/Vlad TV

Speaking back in 2019, Weaver said: "I remember it was like $2 million. You gotta remember, they're coming off of Beauty and the Beast. They're coming off of Aladdin. Disney had bread."

Weaver provided the vocals for some absolute bangers including 'Hakuna Matata' and 'I Just Can't Wait to be King'.

While Weaver provided signing vocals for young Simba, Jonathan Taylor Thomas was on hand for Simba's speaking voice.

Weaver said: "Disney had a reputation for re-releasing stuff. I think at that time they had put out Sleeping Beauty and some of their old catalogue from when Walt Disney was alive.

"They were releasing that stuff when they were releasing the new Disney stuff, so she [his mum] was able to see the playing field and go, 'Wait a minute, this is going to make a lot of money over time, so what happens when my son turns 40? Is he going to be able to get a cheque for this when they eventually re-release this.'"

Weaver's mum renegotiated the deal so her son would receive a $100,000 (£70,000) flat fee, but would receive a share of the royalties.

Young Simba.
Disney

This proved to be a smart move for Weaver, who revealed he has more than made up for turning down the initial offer in the payments he's received over the years.

However, he didn't reveal exactly how much he made.

The royalty cheques show no signs of drying up, and he'll even be able to pass on the payments to his children going forward.

He said: "That residual income that I generate, man that s*** is so helpful.

"Like even nowadays, when I'm getting a cheque from The Lion King, I'm like [fist pumps] 'f***'."

Nevertheless, I think it's safe to say that mums usually know what's best.

The 2019 remake of the film that starred Beyoncé and Donald Glover didn't seem to be as popular as the original, starring Matthew Broderick and Jonathan Taylor Thomas.

The Lion King (2019) received a 6.8/10 rating on IMDb and the 1994 original scored 8.5/10 and managed to pick up two Oscars.

Featured Image Credit: Disney

Topics: Disney, TV and Film